When my son was very young and I was a stay-at-home mom, I grew a garden and canned for several years, sharing the chore with my next door neighbor. (We'd take turns heating and messing up each other's kitchens. The results were wonderful and very satisfying.)

But my canner was not nearly the size of the one in this Johnson Co., AR community canning kitchen:

Interior of community canning kitchen in Johnson Co., AR - August 1935

As I was preparing to write this entry, Google searches revealed that there may be a resurgence in the concept of community canning kitchens today.

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My parents (born in the early 1920s) used to reminisce about community canning kitchens when I was a kid, especially during family canning marathons. Some Granges still have them, at least in the Pacific Northwest, and they're used by Grange members to hold canning bees.

I need to get back into canning. We're preparing a room in the basement to use as a summer canning kitchen, since the house gets so darned hot when the outdoor temp cracks 80. We may not have it ready in time for this summer, but by next summer I'll be making jams and pickles and chutneys again.